Ki-moon confirms: colonialism has no place in modern world

New York (United Nations), Feb 22, 2013 (SPS) - The UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon urged Thursday the UN Special Committee on Decolonization to be more effective in the process of decolonization, arguing that “colonialism has no place in the modern world.”

The UN chief was speaking at the opening of the annual session of the Ad-Hoc Committee on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to colonized countries and peoples, also known as the Committee of 24 for the 16 non-autonomous territories, including Western Sahara which included the process of decolonization of the UN.

Mr. Ki-moon recalled “this session opens as we enter the third year of the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, recommending to the Committee of 24 to adopt an approach that aims to achieve results.

He also called on the Commission to develop new and innovative approaches to mobilize the political will to move forward with its agenda of decolonization.

In this regard, he urged the UN bodies and the administering powers “to take concrete measures to achieve tangible results for the 16 non-autonomous territories included in the decolonization process of the United Nations.”

“It is time for a new kind of fully inclusive dialogue about decolonization,” stated UN chief.

According to him, the risks that a change might cause, although sometimes frightening, are preferable to stagnation in cases of decolonization.

On Thursday after his election to the presidency of the Committee of 24 for the session of 2013, Mr. Diego Morejon Pazmino (Ecuador) expressed the need “the need for a new impetus to the decolonization process, which is too slow, and to consider new procedures in each case.”

He particularly praised the case of New Caledonia, where the current process includes a series of measures of self-determination will be conducted between 2014 and 2018. (SPS)